


Push and Pull

by mismatched_ideas



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Coma, Day 5, Death, Injury, M/M, Magic and Mystique, Secrets, Seungchuchu Week 2017, Violence, Witch!Phichit, assassin!Seung-gil, nothing too bad but there is some, some minor descriptions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 02:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11003976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mismatched_ideas/pseuds/mismatched_ideas
Summary: When Seung-gil is sent to kill another target, he doesn't think much of it. That is his job, after all. Unfortunately, someone forgot to mention the target was a witch.





	Push and Pull

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, this is unedited and rushed. I just finished it at 2AM on the 26th and I'm so tired and groggy help.

His target was easy to follow, their movements slow and deliberate. He didn’t know what this target had done or who they’d angered but that wasn’t his place to know. He didn’t need to know. All he needed was a face, a name, or a place. Anything would do as long as he could find the target. 

The target disappeared into a building, their house, and the dark-haired man slipped down from his hiding spot to follow the target. It was dark in the building but it didn’t matter to him, he could see just fine in near pitch darkness. There was always at least a little light here, in the city, so he never had much of an issue.

He found the target quickly, their back turned and their body relaxed. He marveled, not for the first time, at how comfortable people looked at home when they thought they were alone and safe. He didn’t marvel for too long because whenever he spent too much time looking, he had a hard time forgetting the targets.

He grabbed him, the man made no noise, and slit his throat. Or, he tried to but in a few quick seconds he realized there was no blood and the target was no longer in his arms. 

Then someone had a knife to his throat.

“Hello, I was wondering when they’d send an assassin.”

“Kill me.”

“What?” They sounded genuinely confused and upset. 

“I failed. My contract will kill me if you don’t.”

“Hmm…” There was the feeling of warmth in his head before pain ripped through his skull, sending him to the ground. “Sorry for the pain, that was a stronger contract than expected.”

When the pain dulled to a vague throbbing, he looked up at his target. He really shouldn’t call them that anymore, but in case he fulfilled the contract he didn’t want and lingering attachments. 

“What did you do to me?”

“Broke your contract. It was simple. You should tell your organization to get a better contractor if they don’t want to start losing work.”

“Our contractor is perfectly competent.” Sure he was annoying, loud, too friendly, and also a bit of an asshole but he was still good. “Why the hell did you break my contract?”

“Can’t get in trouble if you don’t fulfill a contract that doesn’t exist.” They smiled, something mischievous in the look that was unsettling. “And anyways, you can’t make a contract with me otherwise.” 

“A contract… with you?”

“Why don’t we go to my study?” They were still smiling, “Maybe have a drink.”

He knew there wasn’t really a choice for him. For all his target’s smiles, and now he really wasn’t a target, he was pretty sure they would and could easily kill him.

“Okay.”

“I’m sure you know but my name is Phichit Chulanont.”

Of course, he knew that name, “I’m Seung-gil Lee.” 

\---

“Want any brandy?” Seung-gil shook his head, causing Phichit to click his tongue in disappointment. “Too bad. I’ve been trying to get rid of this for years.” Phichit moved around the room like Seung-gil was a guest and not the man who’d just tried to kill him. “It was a gift but I hate brandy. Hate most alcohol, to be honest.” Finally, he sat at his large but mostly empty desk. “What do you drink?”

“I don’t.” Seung-gil had had enough incidents involving alcohol to know he shouldn’t drink around other people. 

“Too bad,” Phichit repeated, a smile never leaving his face. Seung-gil found it unnerving, if not a bit attractive, but tried to ignore it. “You can relax, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I am relaxed.” It was only a half lie. Seung-gil might not have been relaxed but this was about as relaxed as he could get. “Why did you break my contract? Why not just let it kill me?”

“I didn’t want you dead. I have a better job for you, one that will pay well and will be more rewarding than killing some random witch who’s competition doesn’t like to play fair.” He leaned forward.” Besides, you’re much too pretty to let die.”

Seung-gil felt heat rise in his cheeks even as he tried to remain unfazed.

“What kind of job.”

“There’s a man I want dead.” Phichit’s face soured. “There’s a man a lot of people want dead. Including someone who will pay well. He can’t take the risk of contracting an assassin but I can. He’ll pay the money and I’ll pay with my body.” He paused. “I also want to come with you when you go after this guy.”

“I work alone.” Seung-gil had a lot of other problems with this offer but that was the first thing he decided to tackle. 

“I won’t be any trouble. In fact, I might be a big help. Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a witch on your side.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Not even if the person I want dead is a wizard?”

Seung-gil stayed silent for a long time, thinking about how poorly his attempt at killing a certain witch had gone.

“I’ll take that as an understanding of why you’ll need me.”

“There are a lot of other issues with this.” Seung-gil rubbed his forehead, partly out of frustration and partly because he still had a headache from Phichit breaking his contract. “For one, my organization will never allow this.” He just hoped they wouldn’t kill him on sight for breaking a contract. “Second, how do I know I’ll get payment if you’re not the one paying.”

It was very important that the person to pay was either the contract holder themselves or, at the very least, close to the contract holder. If you let the rich use a proxy you could bet they’d let the contract holder die before paying up.

“Don’t act like I’m some lackey for a rich dude. The guy paying is a close friend and if he were to let me die… Well, he wouldn’t last long. If I didn’t bring him down with me you can be his husband would make sure he died.” Another brilliant smile. “As for your organization, I know the head’s son.” He raised an eyebrow at Seung-gil’s shock. “How do you think I knew you were coming?”

“Magic…” Was his mumbled response, making Phichit laugh. Seung-gil didn’t like being laughed at but he had to admit this man’s laugh was captivating. 

“Nope, just used that to save myself.” His smile turned flirty. “Though, my friend never warned me about how attractive their top assassin was.”

Seung-gil did his best to keep his voice level even as his face heated up. 

“If you have everything figured out, why are you talking to me?”

“I’m not going to force you to take this contract if you don’t want it.” He was suddenly serious. “It’s not an easy task.”

“I can do it.” He needed any money he could get. Especially since he’d just lost the most lucrative contract he’d ever gotten. “I would like confirmation about payment from the person who’s actually going to pay me, though.”

“Fine then.” Phichit stood, “We can meet him now.”

“Now?”

“He’s always at the hospital at night.”

“I’m not exactly dressed for a hospital.” Seung-gil was pretty sure skintight black jumpsuits were frowned upon in most of society.

“Guess you’re right.” 

Phichit looked at him for a long time in silence. Just as Seung-gil was about to ask what he wanted, Phichit threw his arms up, palms outstretched towards Seung-gil. He spoke quick and low in a language Seung-gil had never heard and again he felt warmth in his body. Suddenly, the fabric hugging his body loosened and when he looked at himself he was wearing slacks and a button-down shirt.

“There, now let’s go.” Phichit stood, walking around to grab Seung-gil’s hand. Before the assassin could argue there was a blinding flash of light and Seung-gil vision blacked out.

\---

“Wow, you had quite the reaction to that.” Seung-gil blinked his eyes open, groaning at the continued painful throbbing in his head. Phichit was standing above him, his face a little too close for comfort. “Sorry, I never thought you’d pass out. I thought you’d throw up at most.” He smiled, still not leaning away. “You’re very cute when you sleep.”

“I wasn’t sleeping.” Seung-gil pointed out, sitting up and taking a quick look around. They were just outside a hospital, Seung-gil lying on a bench while Phichit perched next to him, twisting his body to bend over Seung-gil. “Warn me next time.”

“Will do.” Phichit smiled, standing to help Seung-gil up. “I’m not used to dealing with people who are so sensitive to magic.” Seung-gil grunted, not sure how to respond to most of what Phichit said. He never really seemed to stop talking and Seung-gil was more than happy to let him fill the air with sound. “Ready?”

“Yes.” He wasn’t ready at all, his head still hurting and his mind foggy, but it was now or never. 

\---

Seung-gil had never actually been in a hospital, at least not that he could remember, and found himself feeling more anxious than he’d ever felt. It was strange for him to be surrounded by so many people trying not to die when his entire life revolved around death. 

As they walked through the halls, Phichit kept a strong hold on Seung-gil’s hand. When the stoic man had tried to pull away outside the hospital, Phichit explained he’d be less noticeable if people were allowed to assume they were a couple. Seung-gil wasn’t so sure but played along. He didn’t need a witch angry with him. 

Finally they walked into a white room that looked so much like all the other rooms they’d passed so far. There were two people in the room. The majority of the room, though, was covered with flowers and cards and balloons. There were even a couple of stuffed animals; three were cute brown dogs and one was a cat. The person in the hospital bed was fast asleep. Their face seemed too pale but other than that it looked simply like they were sleeping. There was something so wrong about the machines surrounding them, something that made Seung-gil uncomfortable. The other person in the room seemed to disappear into the gifts, his hand holding tightly to one of the other man’s as he laid his head on the edge of the hospital bed. Seung-gil thought he looked sicker than the person in bed, his face pale and his clothes hanging on his body in a way that whispered secrets about unwanted weight loss. 

“Viktor,” Phichit called into the room quietly, closing the door behind him. “Are you awake?”

“Huh?” The man sat up, his hair sticking messily in many angles that seemed unnatural. He looked even worse that Seung-gil had thought initially. There were bags under bloodshot eyes. Seung-gil could see his hands were shaking and he almost shook his head. This was always how love ended, with one person dying or dead and the other a mess. “Oh, Phichit. Did you just get here?”

“I did… You should go home and get some rest. When Yuuri wakes up again he’s going to be upset to see you like this.”

“I know… I don’t get to see him during the day and what if he wakes up at night?” Seung-gil wasn't sure exactly who this man was but the name sounded familiar. “I’m already away for too much time…” His eyes finally fell onto Seung-gil. “Who…?”

“You remember my fiancé, Seung-gil.” Seung-gil started, looking at Phichit with deep confusion in his eyes. But Phichit wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was making intense eye contact with Viktor. “You remember him.”

“Oh, of course. I didn’t recognize you.” Viktor laughed, no humor in the sound. “I’m a little tired right now.”

Seung-gil wasn’t sure why Phichit was talking in code but he wasn’t about to break this little game. If Phichit thought they needed to be careful, then Seung-gil would follow his lead.

“Seung-gil didn’t want to bother you but I told him it was fine if he came to ask about the money you were going to give to help start his business.”

“Oh.” Something seemed to dawn on Viktor, like he was only now realizing what was happening. Seung-gil couldn’t tell whether or not that was real, though. If it was, had this man really thought he’d forgotten Phichit was engaged? Or did that just imply he’d forgotten what Phichit’s fiancé looked like? “Well, rest assured I would never let anything happen to Phichit so you’ll get your money. I’m sure you two will be very happy. Yuuri would kill me if anything happened to Phichit so I’m always careful to do what he asks.” Viktor forced a smile but in his eyes, there was a look that could only be described as murderous. “I have one request, make sure you say hello to Marcus Stone personally for me.”

“Don’t worry,” Phichit chimed in, voice high and happy despite the tension in his and Viktor’s bodies. “I’m going to be there with Seung-gil. I’ll be sure to send your regards.”

“Good.” Viktor patted both Seung-gil and Phichit on the shoulder, the shake in his hands more obvious when he did that. “I actually have two invitations to a party he’s throwing in two weeks. Why don’t you two take them off my hands?”

“Oh, we couldn’t.” Phichit insisted. 

“It’s not like I can go.” A hollow laugh clawed its way out of Viktor’s throat. “I’ll have someone send it over to your place later.”

“Okay.” Phichit looked over at the sleeping figure, worry creased into his face even as there was love in his eyes. “Please get some sleep. In a bed… for his sake.”

“I doubt I’d be able to sleep alone.”

“I’ll send something over, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Let’s go now, Seung-gil.”

And they left without Seung-gil speaking a word. Seung-gil was left with the feeling he could trust them to send payment. He was also left with the feeling that this was already getting too personal.

\---

When they got back to Seung-gil’s office, one of the other assassins, the sister of one of their two secretaries, came barreling towards Seung-gil. He stepped out of the way but she was still able to hook him into a hug. 

“Oh thank god, you’re alive!”

“Don’t hug me.” She let go and he sighed. “Why did you think I was dead?”

“JJ said your contract broke for no reason and so we thought you’d died!”

“Is JJ your contractor?” Phichit asked, slinging himself over Seung-gil. The taller man gave the witch a long glare but he just ignored it, smiling at Sara. “I’d love to meet him. He’s not bad but he really needs to work on the security of his contracts. He’s much too confident in the strength of his locks.”

“Who are you?” Sara’s hand lowered to her belt, ready by her weapon.

“A friend of Seung-gil’s.” He attempted another glare but Phichit was still not looking at him. “And I’m looking to contract him.”

“I highly doubt you’re a friend of Seung-gil’s.” Sara might be convinced her and Seung-gil were friends but she knew better than to believe Seung-gil had any friends outside this organization. “Who are you really?”

“I wouldn’t draw your weapon if I were you.” Phichit laughed but the sound wasn’t pleasant. “Call up Guang Hong and tell him Phichit wants that contract.”

Sara looked to the secretary’s desk, Emil scrambling to grab the phone.

“Sorry, sir, but I need to know where Guang Hong is. There’s– I’m sorry sir but there’s someone here with a message for him.” A long pause. “A man named Phichit says he wants a contract.”

“That contract.” Phichit corrected sweetly, “He’ll know what it means.”

“Umm… he says ‘that contract.’ He says he’ll know what that means…” There was a long pause. “Thank you.”

“And?” Seung-gil really wished Phichit would get off of his shoulder but he seemed to be uninterested in moving.

“They’re finding him.” Emil looked worriedly at Sara and Seung-gil. “He’s out right now.”

“Oh, I hope I won’t be interrupting his night.” Seung-gil was starting to get sick of Phichit’s tone. It was too sweet; he could almost see the honey dripping off of it. It was so obviously disingenuous and as much as Seung-gil hated people who were loud and overbearing, he hated people who didn’t tell the truth more. “I can’t believe he’d leave the office. He should have known I’d come in tonight.” 

“Sara, put your hand down,” Seung-gil said, finally shrugging Phichit off of his shoulder. “I’m pretty sure he’s safe. I’m going to make some coffee.”

“Oh, can I have some?” Phichit bounced after Seung-gil, almost causing Sara to pull her knife out for real this time. 

“Fine. Don’t make a scene.”

“Can I meet your contractor?” He asked, following Seung-gil into their main office area. When he’d first been recruited Seung-gil thought it was strange that their building looked like a pretty normal office but by now he was used to it. It also made for easier cover.

“Are you going to be annoying?” Seung-gil glared at him, heading to the kitchenette. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that it’s loud enough in here without you antagonizing Leroy.” 

“I won’t antagonize him.” Seung-gil raised an eyebrow. “I won’t!”

“You’re a witch, find him yourself.”

Phichit let out a whine, “But you make it so hard to sense anything.”

“Excuse me?” He measured out the coffee grinds, careful and precise.

“Well, your looks are pretty distracting.” Seung-gil found that Phichit’s joking flirtation was somehow more genuine than his quipping from earlier. His laugh when Seung-gil turned red was more genuine than anything since they left Phichit’s home. “But really, you have an anti-magic aura that makes you impossible to sense and also makes my senses go haywire.” 

Seung-gil was about to ask something, reaching for the coffee, but stopped when he knocked his hand on the hot metal of the coffee maker. He let out a curse, turning the sink onto cold and stuck his hand under it.

“Here, give me your hand.” 

“I’m fine.”

Phichit turned the water off and grabbed Seung-gil’s hand even as he protested. Phichit’s grip was gentle, his hands soft and warm against Seung-gil’s cold hand. 

Phichit put his other palm over Seung-gil’s injury, murmuring something in that non-language he used before. There was warmth and then the pain subsided. 

“There.” Phichit smiled, the softness of it making Seung-gil blush again. “You should be more careful.”

Seung-gil didn’t know what to say, his mouth dry in the face of Phichit’s smile. Any words he’d tried to pull out of his mind evaporated the minute JJ walked into the kitchenette. 

“Seung-gil, you’re okay! We were worried.” He paused, smiling knowingly. “Am I interrupting something?” 

“No.” Seung-gil pulled his hand away from Phichit, turning back to the coffee. 

“I don’t think we’ve met.” JJ held his hand out to Phichit. “I’m Jean-Jacques Leroy but everyone just calls me JJ.”

“Oh, you’re JJ.” Seung-gil honestly wanted to be anywhere but here. “You know, you need to work on your contracts.”

JJ’s smile faltered, “Excuse me?”

“Your contracts. They’re weak. You have some real potential but you need to lock them better. You’re putting everyone involved at risk, yourself included. If I had wanted to, I could have redirected the contract breaking power right to you and you’d be dead. I could have redirected it back to Seung-gil. Luckily, a certain backstabbing witch was all too willing to take that energy.”

Seung-gil felt himself turn cold. “Did you kill the other contract holder?”

“He tried to kill me first.” Phichit pursed his lips. “I don’t like killing anyone but when my life is put in danger, I’ll do what I have to. Also, I needed you alive and I wasn’t about to kill some innocent contractor, no matter how incompetent he seemed.”

“Incompetent”?” JJ sputtered, “Listen here–”

He’d taken a step towards Phichit but in a flash of light was sent to the ground, looking confused and a little scared.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t notice I have a protection spell on?”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Seung-gil put his coffee down and dragged Phichit out of the office, throwing him into a chair in the waiting area. “You can wait here like every other requester.”

Seung-gil didn’t stay to listen to Phichit’s complaints, sighing into his office chair and letting his forehead hit the desk.

This was going to be a long contract.

\---

Someone shook Seung-gil awake not much later, the dark-haired assassin feeling groggy and annoyed with himself for falling asleep.

It was Mila who woke him, her face looking concerned. 

“Guang Hong is here.” She told him. “It sounds like you have another contract.” She bit her lip, watching him stand. “What the hell happened tonight?”

“Went to kill some guy but he broke my contract and said he wanted me to help him kill someone.” Seung-gil shrugged. “He’s also a flirt, which is going to be bothersome.” When Seung-gil was still waking up he found his words flowed better. “The contract seems to be some sort of revenge.”

“Is it true he killed your last requester?” Seung-gil nodded, “Doesn’t he seem a little too dangerous to work with?”

He shrugged. “Guang Hong knows him. And I met the people he is trying to… avenge. He seems like a decent person.” 

“If you say so…” Mila seemed unsure. Seung-gil didn’t understand why she was always so sisterly, especially with him, but she always seemed so concerned about everyone. He suspected there was more to her than he knew but he barely knew anything about his… coworkers. He knew a lot of them were dating which seemed like a terrible idea to him but it was probably better than dating someone who doesn’t know what you do.

“Seung-gil!” Phichit stuck his head into the office space, smiling widely. “You ready to sign a contract?”

\---

Seung-gil almost didn’t sign the contract. There was so much about it he didn’t think he could deal with. Not only was he supposed to work with Phichit but he was also supposed to live with him for the duration of the job. The only thing that kept him on was the fact that his way was almost four times as much as any job he’d ever gotten, including the one Phichit made sure he wouldn’t get paid for. 

“Here's your room!” Phichit was still smiling that fake smile that made Seung-gil wish Phichit had just killed him when they first met. “We start planning tomorrow. The party is in two weeks so we won’t have much time.”

In Seung-gil’s opinion that wasn’t anywhere near enough time, not if this guy was a wizard, but he’d have to make due. Hopefully, Phichit’s magic would be of some help. 

“Okay.” Phichit let the door close behind him and Seung-gil was left alone, allowing himself to relax for only a moment before he started in on his exercises, clearing his mind as he went through the possible failures and successes in the next few weeks. 

It wasn’t enough time to plan so the plan would probably be sloppy. The addition of Phichit meant Seung-gil had more to think about for this contract. The man he was supposed to kill was a wizard. 

The only magic user he’s been contracted to kill was Phichit and his contract holder had failed to mention that fact. Though, he was starting to suspect that Guang Hong purposefully withheld information from him. 

Was it a test? Or a game? Why had Phichit let him attempt the assassination? If he was to be believed when it came to Seung-gil’s ‘aura’ then wasn't there a good chance Seung-gil could have succeeded?

He moved into his next step and leaned forward too far, crashing to the ground with a loud curse. 

This wasn’t going to work.

\---

“I’ll get him alone then you’ll do your thing.”

“Why do you even need to be part of this?”

“If you know someone has an anti-aura like you then it’s actually pretty easy to notice them. Instead of a normal aura, you feel nothing, which is also strange. Everything gives off some energy so a void is noticeable.” Seung-gil started to speak but Phichit continued without letting him finish. “If you’re with me, my magic will make your void invisible. That way, later, when I’m talking to him alone he won’t notice the void because he just thinks that’s what I feel like.”

“This is a bad plan.” Seung-gil crossed his arms. “This relies too heavily on him agreeing to talk to you.”

“He’ll agree to talk to me. Trust me.” Phichit sighed, “He likes to gloat so at the very least he’ll want to say this or that about Yuuri to make me feel bad.”

Seung-gil groaned, “Fine. We’ll go with this.”

“Great!” Phichit clapped his hands together, “Then we’ve got two weeks to teach you how to not look out of place at a fancy party.”

“Excuse me?”

“If we’re going to get in unnoticed and if you’re going to get away from the party without being noticed, you need to not stick out.”

Seung-gil had a bad feeling about all of this. 

\---

He stepped wrong again, barely missing stepping on Phichit’s foot.

“For someone with such a pretty face, you’re pretty bad at dancing.” The comment flustered Seung-gil and he miss-stepped again. “Come on, shouldn’t an assassin be more graceful than this?”

“Grace has nothing to do with this,” Seung-gil told him through gritted teeth. “Maybe you’re a bad teacher.”

Phichit pulled him a little closer, their chests almost touching. Seung-gil was glad they weren’t because he was sure Phichit would be able to hear his heart beating if they did. “Maybe you’re a bad student, Sweet Pea.”

“Can you stop?” Seung-gil pushed him away, anger he rarely felt suddenly bubbling to the surface. He couldn’t make sense of what he was feeling, what Phichit was making him feel, and what Phichit actually felt. Half the time his flirting seemed genuine but then he’d flash a fake smile and flirt using a voice Seung-gil could only describe as fake. 

“Stop what?” He just kept smiling that infuriatingly fake smile. Seung-gil’s heart was burning with a wish to see the genuine smiled Phichit had shown him at the office. 

“This whole act you have going on. All fake smiles and mean words.” Seung-gil’s heart was beating out of his chest and he knew his face was flushed. He just needed to forget about this stupid crush. There were a lot of reasons he should forget, the least of which was the fact that it wouldn’t go anywhere. The biggest reason was love and dating and even crushes always ended badly, no matter how long they lasted. 

“I’m not fake.” Phichit smile dropped. 

“You are.” Seung-gil scrubbed at his face, “I don’t know at all how to read you. One minute you’re being genuine and then next you’re trying to trick me with that stupid smile.”

“Fine.” Phichit didn’t smile now. “I won’t smile anymore.”

“You can smile.” Seung-gil felt more tired than he had in his entire life. “Just smile for real.”

Silence permeated the room, bouncing off walls and filling up corners. Seung-gil felt sluggish like he was pulling his body through syrup. Phichit’s body was still and frozen for a long time, the talkative young man surprisingly letting the silence stand. 

“You want some brandy?” He asked. “I’m going to drink some of that brandy.” 

Against his better judgment, Seung-gil nodded and followed Phichit to his study.

\---

Seung-gil had to admit the brandy was pretty good. And it was almost gone now. The bottle sat between then, both men sitting on the floor. They were leaned against Phichit’s desk, too close for Seung-gil’s crush to take but not all that close.

“Who gifted you brandy if you don’t like it?” Seung-gil’s voice wasn’t too badly slurred but it wasn’t completely coherent either. 

“When Viktor and Yuuri were first dating, I invited them to dinner and I think Viktor was trying to impress me.” Phichit down the rest of his drink and Seung-gil followed suit. “Expensive brandy isn’t the way to convince me he’s a good fit for my best friend but he’s a bit of an idiot.” Phichit poured the rest of the brandy and split it between them. “All I needed was for him to treat Yuuri good.”

“How’d you meet Yuuri?” 

“Childhood friends.” Phichit leaned towards Seung-gil, the bottle no longer between them. “God, you’re pretty.”

“I told you to stop that.”

“I’m serious.” Phichit looked offended, leaning in close enough that Seung-gil could smell whatever earthy fragrance clung to his skin. “You’re really pretty even if you’re mean.”

“I’m not mean.”

He smiled and turned to speak in a sing-songy voice, “Yes you are.” He poked Seung-gil in the forehead before dissolving into giggles, his head falling into Seung-gil’s lap. “But that’s fine, I’m pretty mean too.”

Seung-gil remained silent, allowing Phichit time to pull together his thoughts.

“I know I’m mean. You didn’t have to be so… mean about it earlier.” He drank half of his remaining brandy. “You know, I wasn’t always like this. I used to be happy and shit but the world sucks, okay? What you call fake I call protecting myself. Isn’t that exactly what you do with you frowns?” Phichit drank the rest of his brandy and put the cup down, looking up at Seung-gil with sad eyes. “Aren’t we both fake in our own way?” When Seung-gil didn’t respond Phichit’s frown deepened. “Yuuri always said I needed to accept what happened in the past and move on. He was always worried about me. Now I don’t know if he’ll ever wake up.” 

“I’m gonna’ get the guy who did it.” Seung-gil promised, not because he had to fulfill a contract but because in this drunken state, he really meant it. His crush was getting out of hand and when he finished his brandy it finally exploded in his chest. 

“I know you will.” Phichit’s face softened for a moment, sadness taking back over quickly. “He did it just to hurt Viktor, which is the worst part. Even if Yuuri wakes up I’m not sure Viktor will ever forgive himself.”

“A world that has need for an assassin is fucked up.” Seung-gil told him, head lolling to the side as he started to lose all fine motor skills. 

“That was almost eloquent.” Phichit laughed. It was real and Seung-gil found himself mirroring the smile on his face. Seeing his smile, Phichit sat up. He had a look of wonder on his face while looking at Seung-gil. “Wow.”

“Wow?”

“Your smile is so nice.”

“Yours is better.” To say Seung-gil felt emboldened by the brandy was an understatement. “Maybe we could trade smiles.”

Phichit burst out laughing at that, barely understandable through his laughter. “That’s the worst flirting I’ve ever heard.”

The last thing Seung-gil remembered was leaning in to kiss Phichit and Phichit threading his fingers into Seung-gil hair.

\---

The brandy had been a bad idea and Seung-gil’s head was beating out a steady, painful rhythm to remind him of that fact.

When he finally forced his eyes open, he was met with a galaxy spanning an entire canvas of dark skin. It was a witch’s mark, tattoos didn’t have the sort of unnatural glow that witch’s marks did, and it looked like a galaxy was splattered onto the back in front of him. He was struck first by the beauty and then by the realization. 

When he got out of bed, or more fell out, he was glad to see he wasn’t naked. They’d probably not gone too far last night given he still had his pants on. The thankfulness he felt was muted when he saw that his companion’s back was covered not just with a galaxy but also with small bruises. Also his neck and shoulders. Seung-gil really hoped he didn’t look the same but based on the way his skin felt, he guessed he did. 

This was why he didn’t drink. Every time he drank it ended with him at least kissing someone he should be kissing. This wasn’t the first time he’d ended up in someone’s bed after a night of drinking and this also wasn’t the least amount of clothes he’d woken up in.

The thing was, it wasn’t so much the fact that he’d nearly hooked up with someone after drinking that upset him. Instead, it was the who of it. He knew he had a huge crush on his contract holder and it was dangerous, especially given he wanted to come along on the mission. Having any kind of feelings for anyone in the vicinity of a contract was a recipe for disaster. 

Feelings for anyone were a recipe for disaster. 

Phichit rolled over, groaning when he opened his eyes.

“This is why I don’t drink.” He called, seemingly to himself. He rolled himself out of bed, letting out a yelp when he almost stepped on Seung-gil. “Seung-gil?”

He looked away, trying and failing to find words to make what was happening, what had happened, okay. But there were no words, just shame and regret. 

“I guess the brandy was a bad idea.” He giggled nervously. For all the awkwardness, Seung-gil had to say he was happy to see Phichit was acting more genuine. “Though I’m not complaining.”

Seung-gil was again silent, refusing to even look at Phichit.

“Do you think it was a bad idea?”

“Yes.” Seung-gil wished his cheeks weren’t burning but they were. He couldn’t help the burning in his stomach that felt something like hope. He wished it would either burn him up completely or stop burning altogether.

“Oh… Well I’m sorry you feel that way.” Phichit sounded dejected. “I thought you liked me but I guess I was wrong… I had just been thinking that you’re a really nice guy, even if you can be mean, and that I’d like to get to know you better.”

“We know each other well enough.” Seung-gil could almost hear Phichit begging him to look up, to meet his eyes, but he kept his eyes on the floor. Mostly he did that because they too were starting to burn and the last thing he wanted was for Phichit to see him cry. 

“Oh… I guess that’s fine then. I just… I wanted to tell you I like you.” Seung-gil felt his heart skip a beat and he cursed himself. If only everything would stop burning. “You don’t feel the same?”

Why did it have to hurt so much?

“I have to go get some stuff done.” Seung-gil pushed himself off the floor, wishing he were a better liar as he escaped from the bedroom and from his fluttering heart. 

\---

Seung-gil decided he hated this outfit and this plan and everything about this night. He didn’t want to wear a suit, especially not one that he suspected was worth more than he’d earned in his life. 

“You look good.” Phichit gave Seung-gil a small smile, his voice quiet and his face hopeful. Since The Night, Phichit had been more genuine with Seung-gil but unfortunately, the assassin didn't care because all he wanted was to be rid of this job and be rid of Phichit. He wanted to be rid of these feelings.

He’d expected Phichit to wear a suit but instead, he was in a dress with a high neckline in the front and a low scoop in the back that showed off his witch’s mark. Seung-gil had had to turn away when he arrived downstairs in that to keep Phichit from seeing how deeply he was blushing. He just couldn’t handle how good Phichit looked in the dress. 

“You know, they're expecting a couple so you’re going to have to be a little nicer than that.” Phichit crossed his arms. “Or at least you need to look at me.”

Seung-gil dragged his eyes back up to look at Phichit, willing his blush down. Phichit raised and eyebrow but when Seung-gil had nothing to say, he simply rolled his eyes and walked past the stoic man.

“Let’s go then.”

\---

They got in no problem, the invitations were more than enough to get them passed the front door, and only a handful of people stopped to chat with Phichit. He was always friendly with them, being sure to introduce Seung-gil as his fiancé, but also was careful not to stand around too long. 

Apparently, they learned through Phichit’s many conversations, nobody had seen Marcus yet tonight. 

After almost half an hour of searching and waiting Phichit smiled at Seung-gil, “Let’s dance!”

“What?” Seung-gil was pretty sure that was a terrible idea and not just because he couldn't dance for the life of him. “No.”

“Yes! We need to look like we’re supposed to be here and anyone who’s supposed to be here would dance.” He tugged on Seung-gil’s arm and the taller man didn’t fight him, too tired to argue. He was trying to work through all the possible bad endings for this plan. 

When they reached the floor, Seung-gil was just glad that Phichit took the lead. He was less glad about the fact that Phichit was so close to him. He could smell the earthiness he smelled the other day even though Phichit was wearing a strong aftershave. Seung-gil didn’t mind the aftershave, it was nice enough, but he thought Phichit’s natural smell was better.

Natural smell? He cringed at his own thoughts, trying to push them down and away before they ballooned again like the night he and Phichit drank together. 

“See, when you don’t think about the steps, you do great.” Phichit was leaning forwards, whispering directly into Seung-gil’s ear. The only good thing about his closeness was he could see the deep blush on Seung-gil face.

He needed to get this stupid crush under control right now before he again acted on his desire to kiss Phichit.

“You really do look nice tonight.” Phichit murmured, their dance becoming lazy. “I wasn’t lying about that.”

“I know,” Seung-gil responded, against his better judgment. “You look… stunning.”

“Thanks.” Phichit’s voice was like honey. “Do you really not like me?”

“I–” Seung-gil was close to admitting his fears, close to admitting why he couldn’t admit his crush, but an arriving figure caught his attention. “Phichit, he’s here.” 

Phichit looked to where Seung-gil had gestured with his head, sighing sadly before pulling away from their dance. He kept one hand entwined with Seung-gil’s when as he made his way to Marcus Stone. He didn’t say anything but Seung-gil could feel Phichit’s hand shaking, though whether out of fear or rage he couldn’t tell. 

“Mr. Stone.” 

“Oh, Mr. Chulanont.” Marcus smiled in a way that made Seung-gil’s frown deepen. This man was the worst kind of liar, the kind that wasn’t even trying and instead just rubbing the truth in your face with his unbelievable lies. “I’m surprised. I’d have sworn I invited Mr. Nikiforov and not you.”

“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Phichit asked as Seung-gil started to notice a warmth overtaking his entire body. “Mr. Katsuki is in the hospital.”

“Oh my, that’s terrible.” Seung-gil felt anger rising in his blood and tried to stamp it out. He didn’t have the luxury of anger. “What happened?”

“Why don’t we talk somewhere else?” Phichit smiled, “Alone. I have some things I need to tell you.”

“What about this lovely man you have failed to introduce?” His eyes slid over Seung-gil in a way that made the taller man feel deeply uncomfortable. 

“Apologies. This is Seung-gil Lee, my fiancé.”

“I didn’t know you were engaged.” There was actual surprise color Marcus’ voice now. “Since when.”

“It happened just before Yu– Mr. Katsuki was hurt so we didn’t make a big deal of it. Too many other things going on.”

“Well, it’s good to meet you, Mr. Lee.” Marcus smiled, lazy and seemingly unguarded. “Why don’t you join Mr. Chulanont and I for a drink?”

“I’ll pass.” Seung-gil looked around the ballroom. “I have some people I’d like to discuss some… business with.” 

“Well, I hope to see you again sometime.” He stuck his hand out and as much as Seung-gil wanted to turn away, he reached his hand out only to have it smacked away by Phichit.

“Mr. Chulanont, I’m surprised by your rudeness.” 

“I can see the spell readied in your hand right now. I am not an idiot.” Phichit’s smile was gone; anger flaming up in his eyes, his next words no more than a hiss. “You will not hurt another person I care about if I have anything to say about it.” 

“Was that a threat, Mr. Chulanont?” 

“It was a promise.” Phichit plastered a smile onto his face. “Why don’t we go have that drink?” 

\---

 _This_ was why he didn't get close to anything or anyone, least of all thing relating to a contract. It was the ghosts that followed him closely and would only get louder and louder when he started getting close to someone. 

Sitting on the roof, just above the patio Phichit explained he’d get Marcus to walk out on, Seung-gil waited, silent and motionless. He rubbed his thumb against the scar on his hip, the feeling of the rough skin centering his thoughts but not enough to chase away the nagging memories of why he was so afraid this plan was going to fail.

He could hear the whispers of ‘failure’ from his own mind that were trying to dredge up the memories he couldn’t afford to relive at the moment. Memories of the last time he failed to protect someone he cared about. 

Luckily, his thoughts were shattered by doors being opened and conversation floating up to his perch. 

“–thought you were in love.”

“I was.” Phichit laughed, the sound tense but real. “I was also young.”

“And where did you meet this new man?”

“It was all very strange,” Phichit admitted to him. “A friend sort of set us up but didn’t tell either of us much about the other. We sort of just ran into each other accidentally.”

“And here I thought you’d never get over the last one.”

“I didn’t get over her,” Phichit replied crossly. “But I moved on with my life. Not everyone has the luxury of holding onto the past.” Seung-gil wasn’t sure if Phichit knew he was listening but he was starting to think he didn’t know. This all seemed like information he wouldn’t want Seung-gil to know about him. Maybe they had actually had something to drink. It would explain his loose lips with someone he’d sworn to kill. “Seung-gil called me fake when we were first together and I realized I’d been pretending I was okay since it happened but I wasn’t. I was trying to protect myself from everything and everyone. That’s why my friends were all so worried about me.” Seung-gil could now see both men. Phichit turned slowly towards Marcus, his body stiff. “I know you’re the one who ordered the hit on Yuuri. You can deny it all you want but we all know. And just to hurt Viktor too… It’s low. Then when he didn’t die, you hired a witch to kill me?” Seung-gil was taken aback by this question. Had his former contract holder really been working for Marcus Stone? “Why are you trying so hard to hurt Viktor and Yuuri? What did they do to you?”

“Viktor is the reason my wife is dead.” Marcus’ voice was cold, no false cheer tainting it. “I wanted him to know how it felt to lose someone close to him. You… you had nothing to do with that.”

“Then why? Why did you want me killed?” Seung-gil couldn’t understand the strain in Phichit’s voice. “Yuuri was one thing but me? You were as much a brother to me as Yuuri or Viktor.”

“It’s your fault she’s dead.”

There was a tense silence in which Seung-gil could tell, even in the low light, that Phichit was shaking. When he spoke, the angry shake of his voice further confirmed for Seung-gil that this was more personal than he originally thought. Revenge was already too personal, but now things were getting muddled. Was this why Phichit wanted to be here?

“Do you think this is what she’d want? What either of them would want?”

“Like you would know what they want.”

Seung-gil wanted this job to be over but he didn’t know whether Phichit was ready for him. 

He just wanted his memories to stop trying to surface and he wanted to stop listening to vague histories he didn’t think he was supposed to hear. 

So he jumped.

His knives dug into Marcus’ hands, just as their plan called for. Phichit had explained a wizard was powerful but that he needed his hands to do magic. This would incapacitate him magically and the pain would probably keep him from doing much more. A cloth over his mouth muffled the screams. Seung-gil was about to finish him off when Phichit grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait!”

“What?”

“I– I’m the one who should kill him.”

“You hired me to kill him.” Seung-gil needed to remain professional. He needed to remain sane. “It would be better if you just left now.” Seung-gil looked at the glassy eyed Marcus. “Viktor and Yuuri send their regards.”

But Phichit grabbed his knife-wielding hand, warmth running through Seung-gil for only a moment then his hand opened, the knife dropping into Phichit’s waiting hand.

“Why even bring me along?” Seung-gil asked, feeling useless. 

“I needed you to do what you already did.” Phichit was whispering. “But I have to take the guilt for this.” 

Seung-gil grabbed Phichit, pulling him away from Marcus. There were words on his lips, something about not wanted Phichit to do what he wanted to do, but they were lost in a flurry of motion from Marcus, who had lunged towards Phichit.

There was a shout and Seung-gil kicked the target in the gut, sending him back to the floor next to where Phichit was kneeling, bleeding but from where Seung-gil couldn’t tell. Before he could make another move Phichit spoke through pained gasps.

“This is from me and Yuuri and Viktor but it’s also from Maria.”

Before he could do anything, Phichit pulled the knife across Marcus’ neck and for the first time in years of this bloody, deadly job Seung-gil felt faint. He fought the feeling though, also fighting the whispers in his mind telling him he screwed up again and pulled the knife out of Phichit’s hand. He cleaned it and placed it back into his pocket before pulling Phichit into his arms as he tried to figure out his escape.

“Do you think you can stay on my back?” 

Phichit nodded and they changed positions. Only then did Seung-gil start the dangerous descent down the darkened outer wall. Phichit was quiet on his back but Seung-gil could feel both a warm patch growing near his back, he needed to stop this bleeding as soon as possible, and another near his shoulder.

“Phichit…” He murmured to the young man on his back.

“Yah?” Phichit’s voice was ragged, both from pain and tears.

Seung-gil thought for a long time, glad when he put two feet on the ground. Now, though, came the hard part. He had to get off the estate without being seen. And he had to do it quickly because Phichit needed medical assistance. 

“Never mind.” He honestly couldn’t think of a way to say any of what he was thinking. “Later.”

\---

The doctors at the hospital were surprisingly accepting of their excuse of an attempted mugging when Seung-gil brought Phichit in to be treated. 

“Hey.” Seung-gil started at the voice next to him, his neck snapping to look towards the newcomer. He sighed when it was just Viktor. “Didn’t mean to scare you… just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“It’s over.” He answered.

“That wasn’t what I was asking.” Viktor sat down next to Seung-gil. “He’s going to be okay.”

“I know.” 

_And I don’t care_ , he tried to convince himself. It wasn’t working. 

“Okay.” Viktor awkwardly patted Seung-gil’s arm. “I’ll be with Yuuri if you need anything…” He paused before walking down the hall. “The money will be wired to you tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Viktor left without another word, leaving Seung-gil to his own thoughts. 

Now that the job was over, his mind was catching up with the events of the night. He’d screwed up again and he was going to lose someone else he cares about. He was clumsy and got attached and it was all happening again. It was his fault and if he’d just been better then–

“Mr. Lee?” He looked up at the doctor. “He’s out of surgery but for now he’s asleep. If you’d like to take some time to go home and change, maybe take a shower, now would be a good time.”

Seung-gil hadn’t been aware until now that he was partially covered in Phichit’s blood. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. 

“I’ll wait.”

\---

When Phichit came to he expected a lonely hospital room. Viktor would be Yuuri, still in a coma, and Seung-gil would be long gone. He’d finished his end of the bargain and now all that needed to be done was the money transfer. 

Phichit expected to be alone like he had been for years.

But when he opened his eyes he found a figure sleeping next to him, still dressed in the bloody clothes from the night before.

“The money will be transferred today.” Phichit croaked, pain shooting through his body as Seung-gil started awake with a groogy look to him. I was kind of cute but Phichit pushed that thougth away. “Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“You don’t have to.” Seung-gil blinked slowly but his words were clear.

“What?” Phichit wondered if he was on a high dose of pain medication that was messing with his brain.

“You don’t have to get out of my hair.”

Phichit opened his mouth and then closed it again, words gone.

“I think we’re… similar.” Seung-gil continued, looking at his hands. Since he came to sit by Phichit’s hospital bed he’d been thinking about what he wanted. What he was doing. What he gained, or lost, by pushing people away. “And I think we both have things to… work out.”

“It’s true.” Phichit looked at Seung-gil curiously, “But what are you suggesting?” 

“Maybe we can… work things out together?” He looked up, smiling faintly. “How about it?”

Phichit’s mind was racing to try and make a decision. Half of him wanted to say yes. To shout, ‘of course’ at the top of his lungs. The other half wanted to hide somewhere far away from all people. The blood on his hands would never dry and he knew that when he decided he needed to be the one to take Marcus’ life but… maybe Seung-gil could understand that? Maybe he would understand the nightmares Phichit could already anticipate. Maybe he’d be able to understand how lonely the world could be. Maybe…

“Okay…” Phichit smiled back at Seung-gil. “Let’s try it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had this great idea so I started it then about half way through I realized I didn't have a real story. Then I realized I had almost no time to finish this. And not enough time to write something else. 
> 
> Tomorrow we'll go back to our regularly scheduled olympian AU but I just couldn't come up with any decent ideas for this prompt that fit that AU. 
> 
> I don't love this fic, it's rushed and the characterization is off. I didn't have time to spend on development and the relationship is not right. That said, I'm just glad I finished it in time.


End file.
